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One of the most notable features of Minoan civilisation was and is their artwork. The skills of the Minoan artisans were extraordinary. From the finest jewellery fashioned to the large wall friezes painted that allows us a glimpse of their life and culture. If it wasn’t for the artefacts archaeologists uncover, we’d know very little about the ancient civilisations and it is the sculptures, pottery, figurines, paintings and monolithic tributes that enables us to peek back in time.

I’ve been following Linnea Tanner’s blog for a number of years now and am a avid fan of her work. Her blog is dedicated to the ancient history of the British Celts and of Rome’s invasion and subsequent impact the Roman Empire had on the various tribes. It is one of the most informative and well written blogs I have read and I look forward to each post Linnea writes.

If you enjoy ancient history and in particular the British Celts, I suggest you do read her blog and follow.

Here’s a snippet of her introduction and the link to her blog post.

Introduction

Julius Caesar described the tribes in southeast Britain as being similar to Gaul (modern day France). He mentioned that some of the tribal names in Britain were identical as those in Gaul, but does not specify these. Much of the population was divided into named units in the order of tens of thousands of people which were called civitates, usually translated as ‘tribes’ or ‘states’.

The Minoans came from one place—Crete—as far as evidence shows, yet their influence stretches across the Aegean to mainland Greece. The reconstruction of the palaces at Pylos, Tiryns and Mycenae show similar structural features as did the artwork. The confluence of such occurrences was a result of trade which the Minoans were renowned. The fame of the three city-states mentioned was due to Homer and his tale of the Iliad. The era he spoke of 1300 BCE was 500 years before his time and the three cities were no longer in power.

Have you ever had one of those bad headache days where you feel as if your skull is going to split in two? Or feel like your head is in a vice and squeezed till you almost pass out? Anyone who’s had a migraine will understand. So when Zeus had a monster headache did he ever consider out would pop Athene! Unusual yes, but like most Greek Myths, the birth of the gods had unique beginnings. He, however did swallow Athene at birth, so what did he expect? She’d stay there forever? Not likely.

The Birth of Athena
(From a vase painting)
Drawing from XIX c. German book

She had everything. A husband, in this case a god, (don’t we all wish that!), she shared the throne, was as powerful as her husband, had adoring worshippers and a family. Yet she was one of the most spiteful of the Olympian goddesses. They all had nasty traits but she was vindictive and more often than not, would go out of her way to make lives for those she despised miserable. Perhaps she had good reason to after all she was married to the notorious philanderer Zeus.Continue reading →

Their story goes back thousands of years, long before writing was invented. The magic of words sung and passed down from generation to generation. It was Hesiod who first told their story in his oratorical piece Theogony; literally translated as “the birth of the gods.” Though some experts suggest he got his inspiration from Homer’s The Iliad and “borrowed” ideas about the gods to create his version. Whether or not that’s true, we have Hesiod and Homer plus other ancient performers to thank for the richness and wonderful mythologies about the Greek Gods.

Thirteen gods made up the Pantheon with Zeus as supreme deity. It wasn’t an easy road to the top, pardon the pun. Zeus, along with his siblings didn’t have an ideal

Kronos devouring his sonFrancisco de Goya c. 1819-1923

childhood. Their father, a Titan, was told a prophecy of a son who would replace him and rule Earth and the Heavens. Kronos fearing patricide (he killed his own father) resorted to eating his own children as soon as they were born. His wife, Rhea, tricked him into devouring a rock swaddled in blankets and hid Zeus. He grew up on Krete and when old enough, gave his father a concoction to regurgitate his siblings.

Then there was a war. Kronos and his Titan brothers, the female Titans remained neutral, fought the Olympian Gods. It lasted ten years. (A bit of correlation here between Hesiod and Homer). Zeus recruited Kyklopes and the Hekatoncheires; he had freed them from Tartaros and with their help defeated the Titans. Zeus imprisoned his father and brothers in Tartaros. They would remain there forever.

The Gods played a pivotal role in the lives of the Ancient Greeks. It was believed they lived on earth until Zeus created the fifth age of man: race of iron. When the gods interacted with humans, which they did a lot, they would disguise themselves. Zeus would often take on an animal form to copulate with women; Hera would pretend to be an old woman; Athene may become an owl or impersonate another human.

Each god had particular strengths and weaknesses, ruled over facets of life and nature. The myths were introduced to provide guidance, a rule book to life.

Stay tuned as I delve in the lives of the goddesses beginning with Hera, Queen of the Gods.

A few days back I received a nomination for Super Sweet Blogging Award from Patricia Awapara: Artist Writer an inspiring blogger. Go visit. See her awesome, original artwork and read her very witty posts.

1. Cookies or cake? Cookies, so I can dunk them.
2. Chocolate or vanilla? If an ice cream chilli chocolate.
3. What is your favourite sweet? Ice cream or my mum’s tiramisu
4. When do you crave sweet things the most? When my blood sugar is low.
5. If you had a sweet nickname, what would it be? That’s a hard question to answer and truthfully, my students wouldn’t think I have a sweet side! I do enjoy marshmellow. Let’s leave it at that.

I have just discovered something about myself that I wasn’t aware of before and it doesn’t really come as a surprise.

I can’t seem to write at night. I think it comes down to one thing: my brain is tired. Even now I have to admit the flow of words is a struggle as is the typing. I definitely make more typos and my spelling falls to the side. Writing during the day is certainly more productive and the creative juices are abundant.

Though this is a new aspect about myself I have learnt, it is something I can deal with. No point stressing about it, certainly won’t solve anything. Now I just need to develop new strategies and only do what I can in the evenings.

This past week was a bit of a blur, work got in the way of my writing but hoping this coming week will be kinder and allow me do what I love. Today, I am going to continue with journey of my characters, so let’s head off to Epidauros.

We follow my characters to Messene as they zigzag across the Peloponnese so they may reach Delphi. The city was founded in the 4th Century BC but before then, and according Pausanias, the region of Messenia had small settlements.

‘…I do not believe any city called Messene ever existed; I rest this opinion largely on Homeric epic.
…there is a line in the Odyssey which shows the Messenians were a nation and not a city.’
Pausanias, Guide to Greece, Book 4

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Who is Luciana Cavallaro?

Historical fiction novelist and a secondary teacher, Luciana Cavallaro, likes to meander between contemporary life to the realms of mythology and history. She has spent many lessons promoting literature and the merits of ancient history.